


Looking In

by dessertmeltdown



Category: Firefly
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-21
Updated: 2012-01-21
Packaged: 2017-10-29 21:25:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/324319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dessertmeltdown/pseuds/dessertmeltdown
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kings of denial, that’s what they are.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Looking In

**Author's Note:**

> unbetaed promptfic

Kaylee ain’t sure why they dance ‘round each other the way they do. She can see it plain as day. Oh, it ain’t like they’re runnin’ about the ship makin’ eyes at each other and the like, but she catches glances here and there. Never says a thing. Sure, she could. She could be the one to smack some sense into them and get them to stop playin’ games. But she ain’t sure it’d work anyhow.

And anyway, it’s almost easier to let Simon go around pretendin’ he wants her instead. She don’t mind the attention. Ain’t like there are many options out here, and she likes Simon. Even if she knows he likes someone else.

‘Sides, it’s more likely they’d just both tell her she’s being an idiot before they’d actually admit what they were feeling.

It’s plain as day, though. Especially right now.

They don’t know she’s watching. She’s not even sure they know she’s awake yet. Not that the captain would. He’s unconscious. Again.

But there’s Simon, lookin’ worried as ever, trying to play it professional like he don’t care about the man lying on the operating table more than he wants to admit, but it’s in his eyes. Don’t take an idiot to see it. Hell, she’s almost positive that even Jayne knows.

He goes about his work, never noticing Kaylee’s watching him. Though, watching’s not really what she’s doing. It’s more like an occasional glance over to see if anything’s changed.

Now it has. He’s stopped working, probably finished, and he’s pulled a stool over to sit by Mal’s unconscious body. Yeah, it’s obvious. She can see it.

He’d deny it, though, if she said anything. So she turns back away and goes back to pretending she hasn’t quite come around yet. She’s still pretty tired from earlier today, and she ain’t even quite sorted out how she managed to get injured anyway.

It’s a while then, before she hears anything. She ain’t surprised the first voice she hears is the captain’s.

“Doc?” She can tell he’s just coming out of it. He still sounds half-sedated.

“Captain,” it’s so flat, so professional, almost rehearsed sounding, “Are you feeling any better?”

“Ain’t rightly sure yet,” there’s a pause, “Gonna tell me what happened?”

“You got shot.”

“Think I figured that one out all on my own.”

“You did ask,” Kaylee hears a hint of amusement in Simon’s voice.

“Guess I did,” there’s another pause, “She okay?”

It takes her a moment to realize the captain’s talking about her.

“She’s fine. Came off better than you, actually. It was just a graze. She’s just been sleeping it off.”

She doesn’t hear anything. She knows she should probably take this moment to let them know she’s doing okay. She’s awake, but she’s just too curious. She wants to know where this is going to go. Not that she thinks it’ll go any place.

“Are you in any pain?” she finally hears Simon say, after a while.

“Not much, no. Don’t want any drugs.”

“No, I don’t imagine you do.” Simon says with a little sigh. Captain’s always stubborn about it, she knows. It’s nothin’ new.

They don’t say anything again, and she can just see them, pretendin’ to stare each other down like they’re enemies. There’s a fine line though, and they’re walkin’ that line, just about to tip off on the other side, but never letting themselves.

When she can’t stand the obviously awkward silence that’s filling up the room anymore, Kaylee finally lets out a groan, quietly, just to let Simon know she’s awake. He’s at her side within seconds.

“Kaylee? Are you alright.”

“’M fine. Just a little sore’s all.”

“You shouldn’t be in any pain. It was only a graze.”

“Not my arm. My back. This bed ain’t too comfortable, Simon.”

Simon laughs a little bit, “No, it’s not. I think you should be okay to move to your bunk, if you’d like. You weren’t hurt too badly, just a graze.”

“Already said that,” Kaylee moves slowly as she sits up, “Really think I can get to my bunk?”

“You should be fine. If you’re more comfortable in here, though…”

“No,” she pauses, “No, I’d rather go to my bunk. Can only stay in here with you two for so long.”

She gets looks from both of them for that, but she just shrugs it off. Don’t need to explain. They’d only ignore her, anyway.

“Well, if you start to feel any real pain, you can come see me. I can give you something for it.”

“I’ll be fine.” She stood, very slowly. It’d been her experience that you tend to get a little head rush after lying on an infirmary bed for however long, ‘specially when you didn’t know how long you’d been here. “Just gotta get outta here is all.”

“Are you sure you’re okay, Kaylee?” Simon looks concerned.

“Fine, really,” she smiles to show she means it, “See, just shiny.”

She gives them both smiles before leaving the infirmary. She can only take them for so long. She might not think it’d do any good to say something to them, but if they don’t get outta this denial soon, she ain’t gonna be able to hold it in.

She really don’t wanna tell ‘em to drop the acts while the captain just got nearly killed. Course, that doesn’t leave many options.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] The Not-Valentine's Itty-Bitty Podfic Anthology 1](https://archiveofourown.org/works/343061) by [fire_juggler](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fire_juggler/pseuds/fire_juggler)




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